The National Community Pharmacists Association on Monday released the program for its 2012 Legislative Conference meeting, which will bring community pharmacists and some of Washington, D.C.’s most senior decision-makers together to discuss pressing healthcare and pharmacy issues.

According to most estimates, the costs exerted on the healthcare system due to poor medication adherence are about $290 billion per year, but it’s an issue that can be a particular problem among people living in the United States who have limited or no English skills.

The population of the world is fast approaching 7 billion, according to U.S. Census data, and among those people lie vast differences in terms of culture, especially diet and attitudes toward health and wellness and healthcare professionals.

CVS Caremark issued on Tuesday two new reports that highlight research the company is conducting around medication adherence, including one study that reviews and compares state-by-state adherence rates for patients managing four chronic diseases.

A few weeks ago, we joined some 37,000 of our closest friends for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) annual conference. HIMSS is a cause-based, not-for-profit organization focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of health care.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of healthcare providers, denying a request by the California Department of Health Care Services to suspend a preliminary injunction that currently is preventing the implementation of Medi-Cal cuts.

The fourth annual National Association of Chain Drug Stores RxImpact Day on Capitol Hill wrapped up March 22 on a high note. With pharmacists and pharmacy students from around the country able to secure more than 350 meetings with members of the U.S. House and Senate and their staffs last week, most lawmakers who serve on congressional committees with jurisdiction on healthcare issues got to hear pharmacy’s position on prescription reimbursements, fair payment for pharmacy services and the proposed merger of pharmacy benefit management giants Express Scripts and Medco.

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association and the other members of the Health Choices Coalition on Friday sent letters to members of Congress urging the repeal of the requirement that prevents consumers from using their flexible spending arrangements to purchase over-the-counter medicines without first getting a doctor’s prescription.

NACDS RxImpact Day on Capitol Hill showcased the unsurpassed value of community pharmacy as pharmacy advocates from 41 states conducted more than 350 meetings with U.S. senators and representatives this week.

More than 5.1 million seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare saved billions on prescription drugs, thanks to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to Department of Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

DSN's Pharmacy Technology Report takes a look at the hottest technology in the health-and-wellness space and where investors are looking to take health IT in the future. Also included is DSN's exclusive roundtable discussion with leading pharmacy retailers and executives from leading and emerging healthcare technology companies, which included new technologies to improve compliance, self-care and pharmacist-patient interactions.

There is power in information. There is even more power in that information when it is conveniently available at the precise moment it is needed — in this case, during one of a patient's increasingly time-crunched appointments with a general healthcare practitioner.

A new partnership aims to educate pharmacists, other healthcare professionals, caregivers and patients about diabetes and about how pharmacists can work with physicians to help patients manage the condition.

Written testimony submitted by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores underscored chain pharmacies’ commitment to patient safety as part of the next Prescription Drug User Fee Act reauthorization, and emphasized that community pharmacist-provided services help improve health outcomes without the introduction of unproven technologies.

In January, specialty pharmacy group contracting organization Armada Health Care introduced ApproveRx, a Web-based system that it says will greatly streamline the prior authorization process and already has been adopted by Amber Pharmacy. Meanwhile, the company also is gearing up for the Armada Summit at the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel in May.

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Are we in the midst of a beauty revolution? Perhaps. It is no secret that the ever-changing beauty category is all about trends, but one could argue that we are embarking on an especially interesting time in beauty as technology is changing the way consumers shop and new innovations strive to break through the noise.

In this beauty report, Drug Store News takes a deeper dive into some of the leading trends that are reshaping beauty.more ...

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